Koh Kazama

Guitar

A New York City native, Koh Kazama is a concert guitarist and educator who has performed throughout Japan and the United States. His diverse repertoire ranges from early music played on period instruments to contemporary music using electronic effects.

Dr. Kazama has performed in renowned venues, festivals, and concert series, including Carnegie Hall, Long Island Guitar Festival, Symphony Space, Webster Hall, Mid-Hudson Classical Guitar Society, Yale Guitar Extravaganza, and WNYC New Sounds Live series. He has also premiered works by a wide range of prominent composers, including Michael White, David Lang, William Anderson, Paula Matthusen, and Kendall Williams.

Dr. Kazama holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, where he was a scholarship student. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Master of Music, and Artist Diploma at Yale University. He received a full scholarship to attend Yale, and he was the recipient of the Eliot Fisk Prize, which was awarded to an outstanding guitarist whose artistic achievements and dedication have contributed greatly to the department. He attended LaGuardia Arts High School in New York City, where he majored in cello and was a member of the LaGuardia Symphony Orchestra. His major teachers have included Jerry Willard, Benjamin Verdery, Simon Powis, Liam Wood, Nadav Lev, and David Gonzalez.

Dr. Kazama is currently on the faculty at New World School of the Arts in Miami. He has previously taught as a guitar instructor at Yale University and Stony Brook University. He is also a former faculty member and alumnus of Third Street Music School Settlement, the longest-running community music school in the United States.